Neville Sellwood had a great career cut short, tragically killed in a race fall in France

NEVILLE FRANCIS "Nifty" SELLWOOD was born on the 2nd December, 1922 at Hamilton, Brisbane, the fifth child of Queensland-born parents Charles Sellwood, labourer, and his wife Amy Elizabeth Sherman. Neville’s mother wanted him to become a solicitor, but he deliberately performed poorly at school in an attempt to thwart her ambitions for him. Sellwood was born in the Brisbane racing suburb of Ascot (adjacent to Eagle Farm and Doomben racecourse) and was born to be a jockey. His father Charlie was a retired jockey while his mother was an accomplished horsewoman. Often after school he could be found across the road at the stables of Barney Page who was the private trainer to leading Brisbane owner P.J. O’Shea.

In 1938 he was apprenticed to Jim Shean, a trainer in Brisbane. His first ride was at Bundamba racecourse, Ipswich in October 1938 and his first winner OURIMBAH, at Doomben came 15 rides and five months later in March 1939. It was claimed Sellwood, in his early days had almost as many falls as he had winners. Sellwood, from early in 1942, served with Army postal units in Brisbane and at Townsville where his commanding officer allowed him to ride trackwork and take mounts at local race-meetings. He topped the jockeys’ premiership at Townsville in three successive years, winning 140 races from 290 mounts. At St James’s Anglican Cathedral, Townsville, on 21 October 1944 he married Alwyn Grace Dinnar, a waitress; they were to have two daughters and a son. He was discharged from the army in May 1946, and by then was already among Brisbane’s leading riders.

Sellwood was lured to Sydney by leading trainer Maurice McCarten after his stable jockey Ted Bartle retired, and despite an early run of “cold form” he would soon be Sydney’s premier jockey – for the first time in 1948-49. Sellwood, a fairly unobtrusive character, became the epitome of culture under McCarten for whose stable he was number one jockey from 1946/47. He became known for his correctness of dress and speech – Sellwood was very seldom in the stewards room.

In 1949, he won the Derby and the W.S. Cox Plate on the McCarten trained DELTA, whom he would partner to win the Melbourne Cup in 1951. Sellwood’s 2nd Melbourne Cup win was on TOPAROA in 1955. RISING FAST, with 63kg was beaten a length in that Cup by TOPAROA who had 15kg less and Sellwood was suspended for two months for causing interference to Rising Fast. No protest was lodged. Sellwood achieved remarkable success in his riding career, securing 74 Group 1 victories. This placed him in tenth position among Australian jockeys and third among his contemporaries of the era, surpassed only by the legendary George Moore and Roy Higgins.

In an illustrious career, Sellwood won the Melbourne Cup on DELTA in 1951 and TOPAROA in 1955, the Caulfield Cup in 1950, 1951 and 1957, the Victoria Derby in 1949, 1953, 1955, 1959 and 1960, the Sydney Cup in 1954, 1956, and 1960, the AJC Derby in 1952 and 1953. He also had wins in the W.S. Cox Plate, Epsom Handicap, the Metropolitan, STC Golden Slipper Stakes, Queensland Derby, Stradbroke Handicap, Doomben Ten Thousand, Doomben Cup and Brisbane Cup.

His international record was not as distinguished as many of his contemporaries, but his career was tragically cut short and he is one of only five Australian jockeys to have won an Epsom Derby and his record, at home, was as good as any. He won the first Golden Slipper Stakes, in 1957, aboard TODMAN (12 rides for 10 wins) and rode the champion TULLOCH in 12 wins including in the memorable Caulfield Cup of the same year. Five Victoria Derby and four Epsom Handicap wins top the list of at least nine prestigious Australian races he won more than once. 

Described by one English racing journalist as the 'complete jockey', he had an uncanny ability to read and judge pace and tactics in distance races. He was also shrewd in other ways. His ledgers, recording the form of every horse he had ridden, assisted him in choosing mounts. His manner was confident and easy, and he charmed owners and trainers alike. Enjoying the publicity and wealth that came with success, he wore expensive suits and earned the nickname 'Nifty', but he was no spendthrift, investing much of his earnings in shares, and in a sheep-property at Cudal, New South Wales.

Sellwood won six jockeys’ premierships in Sydney from 1949 to 1960 –  the first coming just two years after he moved from Brisbane – before making the fateful decision to try his hand overseas for a period of time. 

It was not his first trip abroad. In 1950, he ventured to America at the behest of well known comedian Joe E Brown. He rode one winner from limited opportunities in California in a two months cameo. He then went to England in February 1951, and blazed a trail which would be well worn. He won the King’s Stand Stakes on STEPHEN PAUL and the Diamond Jubilee Stakes on BOB CHERRY – both trained by Atty Persse. He also won the Royal Hunt Cup and Bessborough Stakes to be the leading rider at the Royal meeting. Sellwood would win the King’s Stand again, this time for Vincent O’Brien, in 1962 – a race Scobie Breasley would win four times before, some 50 years later, Jay Ford, Zac Purton, Craig Newit and Steven Arnold added their names to that honour roll. Bill Williamson, George Moore, Brent Thomson and Luke Nolen would follow in Sellwood’s footsteps in winning the Diamond Jubilee. 

Sellwood returned to Australia in September 1951. He was home in time to win the Melbourne Cup for the first time and the Caulfield Cup a second time, having won it in 1950, just before his departure. Eleven years later, Sellwood was lauded after winning on LARKSPUR in an extraordinary Derby in which seven horses fell. Larkspur (22-1) came home two lengths in front of the French colt ARCOR, with another French horse, LE CONTI HIEN, in third place. Sellwood was described as ‘the luckiest man on the course” after a number of horses fell in front of him, but avoided the melee to go on and win.

Tragically, luck was not on his side just five months later at Maisons-Laffite in France. The Australian jockey Neville Sellwood was killed when his mount, LUCKY SEVEN stumbled and fell on him during the sixth race at Maisons-Laffite. Officials said that Sellwood was dead on arrival at the jockeys’ hospital on the course. Neville Sellwood, earlier that year, had become the first jockey to win in both France and England on the same day, scoring at Saint Cloud in the afternoon and then flying over to win at Kempton. Racing identities universally described him as intelligent and charming and that his “tragic death would be deeply regretted by all those who had the pleasure of being associated with him.” Yves St-Martin, 15 times champion jockey of France, went on to claim the title that year but later presented the cravache d’or (golden whip) to Sellwood’s family. Sellwood had been comfortably leading the championship and while Saint-Martin had already been presented with the trophy, he conceded he would not have won had Sellwood had not been killed.

It’s believed that Sellwood had intended to return to Australia before that Maisons-Laffite meeting in order to ride in the Melbourne Cup but changed his mind “to clinch” the French premiership. His funeral was held in December 1962, as thousands of Orange residents waited for more than an hour to pay their respects to former champion jockey Neville Sellwood as his funeral moved slowly through the town. Six Orange local jockeys formed a guard of honour alongside the hearse, which travelled directly to Orange from the Requiem Mass at the Sacred Heart Church in Randwick, Sydney.